With the Dyaks of Borneo: A Tale of the Head Hunters

"Let him wait," murmured Tyler beneath his breath. "Once the gun is loaded and we are in readiness, we will drive him and those of the Malays who remain aboard into the sea, where they must swim for their lives. It is the only way in which we can deal with them, for if we endeavoured to make them prisoners by securing them down below we should never know what it was to enjoy a moment's peace until we fell in with friends, while we should run the risk of having our plans suddenly upset, and the tables turned upon us with a vengeance. Now for the magazine!"

Creeping across the floor it was not long before he arrived at the door in the bulkhead which gave admission to the cupboard in which the powder and shot carried by the schooner was stored. Fortunately he had failed to lock it on the previous evening, so that a gentle twist of the handle released the catch and allowed him to enter. After that he had no difficulty in obtaining what he wanted, for he had helped to place the ammunition in the cabin before leaving Singapore, and knew the exact position of the bags of powder and shot. Very soon he was outside the magazine once more, and having crept cautiously across the cabin, went staggering up the ladder bearing a couple of bags over each shoulder.

"To the stern!" he whispered, as John Marshall's face came into view, "and get ready to help me with the gun. After that we'll cut away the anchor and make ready to hoist the sail."

"It'll be a big job for the two of us alone," was the sailor's whispered answer. "But we can get a foresail on her at any rate, and that will take us out to sea. Give me hold of one of them bags, sir. They're a tidy weight, and want a little carrying."

Taking a couple of the sacks which contained the ammunition, he went softly along the deck with Tyler until they had reached the stern, where their burdens were deposited beside the gun. Then silently, and with every precaution to avoid making a sound which would arouse the Malays, they crammed a charge of powder into the six-pounder, and rammed down upon it a couple of bags of grape. A piece of sacking over all helped to keep the bullets in position, and destroyed all chance of their rolling from the muzzle should it be found necessary to depress the weapon.

"And now for the anchor," said Tyler when the work had been completed to his satisfaction.

"Jest leave that to me," was the whispered answer. "I'll let it go for good and all by cutting the cable. It's lucky for us that we haven't a chain one aboard, for then we'd certainly have made a noise when freeing it. As for another anchor, there's a couple stowed away in the locker below."

Slipping to the stern-rail he quickly laid hold of the cable, and, drawing his knife from his pocket, severed it at one attempt. Then he rejoined Tyler, and as if to show his coolness, indeed, as if he already considered that the schooner had returned to the keeping of those who had a good right to her, and Tyler was his commander, he touched his hat briskly and asked what the next order might be.

"The sail," said Tyler shortly. "We'll hoist the foresail and leave the others till later. But we must show some canvas, for otherwise those fellows ashore will be after us with their boat, and, besides, we have to think of the prahu. But one thing at a time. Let us get the sail up and then discuss other matters. Now into the bows!"

Slipping along the deck once more, they passed the entrance to the cabin like ghosts, and halted for a few seconds to listen. Then, satisfied that Christian van Sonerell was sleeping peacefully, if a murderer and a pirate can do so at all, they crept on into the bows and at once set about hoisting the foresail. But here their difficulties were greater, for beneath them rested the Malays who were still aboard, men with the sharpest ears, and, moreover, sailors who slept but lightly. That Tyler and his companion could hope to do all that they wished without discovery was almost impossible, and neither would be surprised to be disturbed in the midst of the work.

"Up with it now!" said Tyler quickly. "All is ready for hoisting, and if only we can get it in position we shall feel more secure. But I hear someone moving. Don't stop, but finish the job at once."

That someone had heard their steps above, or the clatter of a falling rope, quickly became evident, for as they tugged and strained, a head suddenly emerged from the hatchway leading to the men's quarters, while a pair of sleepy eyes peered round in the half-darkness.

"I heard sounds," murmured the man, while Tyler and John Marshall crouched motionless upon the deck. "A rope fell, and I even thought that I distinguished a step. But no one is about. We have driven the beggarly white men off the ship, and but for a few of us who are lucky to be left, all are gone ashore there to waylay the Englishmen. Perhaps our brothers have returned, and have not cared to awake us. It surely cannot be our enemies who have been bold enough to attempt to take the schooner!"

He scoffed at the thought, and hearing no sound to awake his suspicions, and seeing no sign of his comrades, he turned and began to descend. Suddenly, however, aided by the feeble rays from the swinging lantern, his eyes fell upon the two crouching figures, and for a moment he was dumbfounded with astonishment. Then he peered in their direction, and, suddenly coming to the conclusion that danger threatened, he slid below at his fastest pace, shouting so as to arouse his companions.

"The dogs are upon us!" he cried, rushing at the sleeping figures and shaking them fiercely. "Rise and prepare for fighting, for I tell you that the ship is taken, and that the Englishmen have returned."

"Impossible!" growled one of the Malays, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Consider; they are but two, while there are seven of us in all, not counting our Dutch leader. You are mistaken, and have been suffering from a nightmare."

"Impossible, do you say?" was the heated answer. "I am not dreaming, and I say to you that unless you make a movement to protect yourself, you will quickly be killed. Ho, all of you! We are attacked! The ship is taken!"

Meanwhile Tyler and his comrade had been busily at work. Realizing that they still had a few moments before them while the native crew were aroused and informed of their presence, they threw themselves upon the sail, and by dint of tugging together at the rope managed to hoist it into position. Then they fled back to the stern and began to make preparations for defence.

"I can feel that we are under weigh," said Tyler, peering over the side. "That is capital, and now all that we have to do is to drive the crew overboard, and then clear away from the prahu. What course do you propose, John?"

"Along the island," was the emphatic answer. "Yer see, sir, we've the prahu to think about, and have to make our plans to get clear away from her as well as from Hans Schlott and his villains. If we had a couple or more men aboard to lend us their help we should be able to pile more sail upon her, but as it is, two will not be capable of doing the work, at least not in a hurry. Then those native boats sail like the wind, and would overtake us easily."

"Then your suggestion is that we should coast along the island, and if pursued by the prahu slip into some creek."

"Just so, sir; and what's more, we'll have to abandon the schooner, I expect, for otherwise they would be down upon us, and once our guns have been fired would easily capture us. Better to take to the swamps of the forest than have our throats cut by these rascals."

"Hush!" whispered Tyler at this moment, "Christian van Sonerell is coming up the ladder and the struggle will soon begin. We will wait until all have reached the deck, and then we will call upon them to leave the vessel. If they refuse, or do not instantly obey, we will begin to fire amongst them, and I fancy that the contents of the six-pounder will help them to make up their minds. Stand ready!"

As he spoke, the faint gleams of the lamp which still burned in the rigging showed them the figure of the Dutchman standing in the companion-way, while directly afterwards the crew of Malays who had been left upon the schooner came climbing from their quarters, shouting in frightened voices to one another.

"What is this commotion?" demanded the Dutchman angrily, for he was annoyed at having his sleep disturbed. "You cry out like babies who have been hurt, and one would think that a boat-load of British sailors was about to board us. Go back to your quarters and let us rest at peace during the remainder of the night, for remember, we have had many hours of hard work, and I have a wound which troubles me."

Turning upon the Malays fiercely he shook his fist in their direction, and growled out the words in surly tones.

"But I tell you that we are attacked," cried one of the natives rushing up to him. "Only a few moments ago I saw two figures crouching in the bows. The lamp which swings aloft lit the dark corner in which they hid, and at once I recognized them as the hated white men. I tell you that we are attacked, that these Englishmen have climbed aboard while we in our foolishness slept, and have captured the schooner."

"Silence, idiot!" shouted Christian van Sonerell, stepping towards the man. "The vessel captured by the two fugitives! Why, if they have dared to come aboard it will be at the cost of their lives. Where are they? Point them out to me and I will soon show you who is the owner of this schooner."

"There is no need for you to be told where we are," called out Tyler at this instant, "for we are back in our old position, and while you slept have contrived to load the gun. It is crammed to the muzzle with bullets, and I will fire the charge amongst you if you do not instantly leave. Overboard with every one of you! I give you five seconds in which to disappear."

Had a bomb-shell suddenly fallen at the feet of the Dutchman he could not have been more startled or more taken aback, for he had never dreamed that the fugitives would dare to return to the schooner. Indeed, he had taken it for granted that ere he awoke in the morning Hanns Schlott and the men who were with him would have laid hands upon them and killed them instantly. And now to be awakened suddenly, before the morning had dawned, and to come on deck to find that the Englishmen had returned, was a surprise, a piece of news which astounded him. At Tyler's words he started back as if he had been shot, while his face flushed with indignation and with rage at the commands which had been given.

"Leave the ship," he cried hoarsely, "and at the bidding of two who are little more than children! Their insolence astonishes me, and for the moment takes my breath away. Listen, you two. You have fallen into a trap, and had better relinquish your arms. Surrender at once and my men will bind you."

"Fire!" shouted Tyler, who had been carefully counting the seconds. "Empty your revolver amongst them!"

Levelling their weapons at the Malay crew, the two opened upon them without hesitation, a shriek and the thud of a falling body answering the first shot. Then a faint-hearted attempt was made to charge towards the stern, led by the burly Dutchman. But a lucky bullet happening to strike the leader, checked the natives almost instantly, and, realizing at once that they were no match for the two Englishmen, who had already shown how stubbornly they could fight, the natives ran towards the bulwarks and jumped overboard. As for Tyler and his companion, they sprang to the spot and discharged their weapons into the sea in the hope of hitting some of the fugitives, but without success. Then they turned to the prostrate figure of the Dutchman and closely inspected it.

"Dead!" said the former quietly, rolling Christian van Sonerell upon his back. "The bullet struck him fair between the eyes and must have killed him instantly."

"Then he is a lucky man," cried John Marshall, "for had he lived and escaped from the schooner he would, sooner or later, have come to the gallows for this act of piracy. As it is, Hanns Schlott alone is left, and we will hunt him down until he is captured and brought to justice."

"We will," agreed Tyler earnestly, "for remember, the Dutchman, who still lives, has his hands stained with the blood of our leader. You yourself witnessed the murder, and for that base crime he shall hang. I swear to hunt him down, for otherwise, if I relinquish the matter he will go unpunished, and will still continue to rob and murder in these seas. But this man is dead, and therefore had better be tossed overboard. Let us search his pockets and then do as I have said."

Kneeling beside the body of the Dutchman they rapidly ransacked his pockets, and having abstracted some papers and other objects of little importance, bore the lifeless figure to the side. Then with a heave they sent all that remained of Christian van Sonerell splashing into the sea.

"And now to set our course," said Tyler. "Go to the stern, John, and take the tiller, for you are a practised seaman, while I am little more than a novice. I will go into the bows and dowse the lamp, for it would never do to leave it hanging there. Then I shall creep below and search every corner of the vessel to see that none of the Malays remain. Just keep your ears and eyes open, my lad, for the shouting and the report of our revolvers must have been heard ashore by Hanns Schlott and his men, while those who plunged overboard will quickly reach the land, for these natives are excellent swimmers."

Waiting to see John Marshall go into the stern and grasp the tiller, he felt for the line by which the riding-lamp was hoisted and rapidly lowered it to the deck. Then he took it in his hand and descended into the cabin. Here, as he fully expected, he found everything in confusion. Pillows and blankets lay scattered upon the floor where the Malays had tossed them when searching the bunks for valuables. The table which had stood in the centre lay crushed and shapeless in one corner, while the pistol with which the murderer had slain Mr. Beverley was half-hidden beneath it. As for the latter, there was no sign of his body, and it became evident at once that, as in the case of those who had lost their lives during the struggle on the deck, it had been committed to the sea.

"Perhaps it is better so," murmured Tyler, "for had I seen him here lying murdered in his bunk the sight could only have shocked and distressed me. I know that he is dead, for John actually witnessed the deed. That being the case, I have but one duty to accomplish, and that is to bring Hanns Schlott to justice. And now for the other parts of the schooner."

Passing into the bows, he peered closely into every corner, opening the lockers lest one of the Malays should be concealed on board. Then, satisfied that he and John were alone on the vessel, and that they were in command once more, he dowsed the light and clambered to the deck.

"They're hollering fit to hurt themselves," said John with a chuckle, "and I reckon that Hanns Schlott is jest silly with rage. He's calling his men together, and I've no doubt that they'll be putting off from the shore. But it's getting darker, as it often does a couple of hours before the dawn, and now that the light has gone from the rigging, and we have slipped away from our berth, he'll have a precious hard job to find us. But that foresail don't send us along more than a couple of knots an hour, and when the sun comes up we shall be still in sight of the prahu. Then them pirates will come swooping down upon us, and we shall have to make for the shore."

"Then we'll try to hit upon a river," said Tyler. "I had many a chat with Mr. Beverley on our way out from England, and together we went over the maps and charts dealing with the island of Borneo. He told me that there were numerous bays along the coast-line, and that one or more rivers ran into them as a rule. In fact in some parts the shore is a swamp in which trees abound, and through which navigation is sometimes possible. It may turn out that we shall have the fortune to strike an opening which will allow us to sail some way into the interior, for the water-ways are wide, and it is fairly certain that a ship can penetrate many miles from the coast. After that a boat would be necessary, for there are shallows higher up. But until the day breaks we can make no plans, and as it is pretty certain that we shall be seen and followed by Hanns Schlott and the crew of the prahu, it will be well if we make preparations to resist them. Stay where you are, John, while I get out some ammunition and load the gun. We'll leave the six-pounder in the stern loaded with grape, while we'll put a ball into the one right for'ard."

Once more the two young fellows parted company, John Marshall to stand at the helm and listen to the shouts which came from the shore, while Tyler promptly set about loading the gun which stood in the bows. That done, he brought from below a supply of muskets and ammunition, and having prepared them, placed them at intervals along the deck.

"And now for something to eat," he said to himself. "John and I have been at work for many hours, and the fighting and the excitement of this business have given me an appetite. It seems to me that we should be foolish to neglect this opportunity of eating, for once the day comes our attention will be fully occupied with the pirates. I'll just see what is to be found in the lockers."

Lighting the lamp once more, he went to that portion of the schooner where a supply of food and drink was kept, and quickly went swarming up on deck with some slices of ham, a few biscuits, and a couple of bottles of beer.

"Jest the thing!" exclaimed John Marshall, allowing a broad grin of pleasure to overspread his features. "Jest what I wanted; and hang me! now that the food's before me, I remember that I'm as hungry as can be. Share and share alike, sir, and make no enemies. Here's a corkscrew in my knife, and there's a blade as well if we want it."

Seating themselves upon the deck, Tyler and his companion fell upon the good things with eagerness, washing down the dry biscuit and ham with a bottle of beer. Then they chatted in low tones, John occasionally rising to his feet to make sure that the sound of breakers as the sea washed upon the shore was no nearer. Occasionally a faint shout came to them across the water, and once they heard the splash of oars; but very quickly all signs of the enemy disappeared, and they floated along, for all they knew, alone in that portion of the world. Indeed, the fact that they had beaten back the pirates and regained possession of the vessel, and that Hans Schlott and his Malays had for the moment disappeared from their view, raised their spirits to the highest, so much so that they joked and laughed there as they crouched upon the deck. And who could blame them, in spite of the fact that they had so recently lost their leader? For their escape had been wonderful, and the relief to their minds was great. Reviewing the events of the night as he sat there beside John Marshall, Tyler could not suppress the feeling of elation with which he was filled. Everything had been so sudden, and almost unexpected. The death of Mr. Beverley, the advent of the boat-load of pirates, and the desperate struggle which followed had come with such startling swiftness that his mind was still in a whirl, while his thoughts were so full of the narrow escape which they had had, and of plans for the future, that his brain was as yet incapable of appreciating to the full the loss which he had suffered. Vaguely he mourned the death of a man who had been a good friend to him, and in his quiet and determined manner he decided that, once he could see his way to following Hans Schlott, he would do so with all the energy of which he was capable. But for the present he and the boatswain were fugitives themselves, while the rascally Dutchman and his crew of Malays were the pursuers. How could they contrive to escape from the prahu, and if they were forced to take refuge on the island, how would they ever be able to communicate with their friends?

"We must make as complete preparations for an extensive journey across the island as we possibly can," said Tyler, breaking the silence which had been maintained between the two for almost an hour. "You see, Mr. Beverley's intention was to land upon the coast somewhere hereabouts, and then to strike for the interior. His object was partly to obtain particulars as to the productiveness and mineral value of Borneo, and partly to hunt for rubber, which is becoming very rare, and which always obtains a high price in European markets. He equipped himself with all manner of articles, and though we cannot hope to carry much with us, we can at least take what will be most necessary for our safety."

"Guns, for instance!" exclaimed John Marshall shortly. "I reckon that our revolvers, a fowling-piece, and a rifle, with the necessary ammunition, will be far more useful to us than anything else. For food we can rely upon our weapons, and after that what else do we want?"

"Strong boots and clothes, I should say," replied Tyler swiftly. "Mr. Beverley told me that rain is to be expected daily in the island, and that the journey would take us through the thickest forests and deep swamps. Obviously, then, it will be well to look carefully to our clothes, and assure ourselves that we are well provided in that respect."

"And what about the schooner?" John ventured to demand. "You won't desert her and leave her for the use of Hans Schlott?"

"Certainly not. Once it becomes clear that we must abandon our ship we will sink her or burn her, whichever is easiest. Then we can get ashore in the dinghy, and once in the swamps I think we shall be able to laugh at the pirates. But then there will be the natives to be considered, and in their case we must hope for the best."

"Quite so, sir," agreed the boatswain; "and as to getting rid of the ship, I vote that we sink her, for we can see to the necessary arrangements now, and once the day comes shall feel that we have all in readiness. There's a double-handed augur in my locker, and some chips of wood which will act as plugs, and which we can knock out of the holes once the time arrives for sinking the schooner. Lay hold of the tiller, sir, and leave the job to me."

Handing the ship into Tyler's care, he went off along the deck and disappeared below. Half an hour later, when he returned, it was with the information that he had bored sufficient holes to sink the schooner, and that a couple of minutes with a hammer would suffice to knock the plugs out.

"And now for our preparations for landing," said Tyler. "It looks to me as though we might expect the dawn to break at any moment, and I think that we ought to be particularly careful to have everything in readiness for instant flight. Take over the helm again, my lad, while I go below and get rid of this uniform, and put a pair of strong boots on my feet. When I come up I shall bring the weapons of which we spoke and a good supply of ammunition. Then you can follow my example, and make ready for a journey by land."

"Not forgetting a good hearty meal before we leave the schooner," cried the boatswain with a laugh. "By dawn we shall have been a couple of hours or more without a bite, and who can say when we shall be able to get our next supply of food? So let's go prepared in every way for a long journey and for rapid flight."

Hastily agreeing to this suggestion, Tyler once more dived into the cabin of the schooner, and going to his own particular quarters commenced to don the suit of clothes which he had purchased at Singapore. A pair of thick boots and a strong felt hat completed his apparel; while a belt around his waist, in which was a strong sheathed knife, formed a convenient place in which to secure his revolvers.

"And now for a bag in which to carry ammunition," he said to himself. "I know that several were included in our equipment, and I think that if we carried one over each shoulder they would prove of the greatest service to us, for then, besides taking powder and shot, we could carry with us some spare stockings. Also, I must not forget that uncivilized natives are particularly fond of cheap knick-knacks, and as we are nearly sure to come in contact with some of them, I will certainly carry a few scarves and looking-glasses with me. Of course, if the pursuit is very keen, we shall have to throw all these things away and retain our rifles only, but I hope it will not come to that; in fact, I have made up my mind that once it becomes clear that the prahu will overtake us if we remain at sea, I shall run in to the land as rapidly as possible so as to get a long start. But I must not waste time, for already the sky is getting lighter."